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Friars come to terms with Marcus Giles

Friars come to terms with Marcus Giles

SAN DIEGO -- The Brothers Giles will be reunited in
time for Christmas.

Former Atlanta Brave Marcus Giles will join his brother
Brian on the Padres when he's introduced as San Diego's new
second baseman at a press conference at PETCO Park on Wednesday.

"If he ends up passing his physical, he'll be a Padre, if not this afternoon, then tomorrow," said Padres GM Kevin Towers prior to
manager Bud Black's speaking engagement at the San Diego Hall of Champions
on Tuesday.

Marcus Giles, who was expected to complete his physical on Tuesday, will
reportedly get a base salary of $3.2 million this season with incentives
that could take his contract to $4.25 million. The club option for 2008 is
for $4 million.

"He's played for some championship teams there in Atlanta," said Towers of
the 28-year-old right-handed hitter. "He's another native of San Diego
teamed up with his brother. He plays the
game hard. He's durable, gives you a lot of plate appearances, and gives us a
little speed at the top of our lineup."

Marcus Giles, who was plagued by injuries last year, batted .262 with 11 home runs,
60 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. In the 2003
season, his first as a full-time starter, Giles batted .316 with 21 home
runs and 69 RBIs and made the All-Star team. Giles has a .285 career average with 72 home runs in
2,514 at-bats and a .361 on-base percentage.

"First and foremost, Marcus is a good player, that's the main thing," said Black. "You look at his talent, that's the thing that we
look at first: Is he going to help the Padres win baseball games? And he is.

"He combines both offense and defense," added Black. "He's a great defender
and offensively, he's capable of making an impact at the top of the order.
He's got some power, he's got some speed. He's got some on-base percentage
in the game. He's a tough out."

Asked about the Giles brothers playing alongside one another, Black said: "It's going to be special for both of them. It doesn't happen very often,
that tandem of brothers playing together. I didn't have a brother -- I have a
sister -- so I don't know what that's like. But watching the Molina brothers
play up in Anaheim, you can sense the closeness there and the bond. And I'm
sure the Giles brothers will have that same special feeling every day they
come to the park.

"And obviously, they'll add a little light-heartedness to the clubhouse with
their personalities."

"Their mom and dad should be real pumped," said Towers. "Two babies right
here in their backyard."

Both Giles brothers, who grew up in El Cajon, Calif., graduated from Granite Hills High,
where Marcus was a classmate of NASCAR Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson.
The two are still close friends.

With Marcus Giles on board, Todd Walker will likely be used more as a
utility player. Walker agreed last week to accept salary arbitration.

"We're planning on having both Walker and Giles," said Towers.

Towers also said there are still plans to meet with David Wells.

"We were supposed to get together [Monday] night and he was
feeling ill," said Towers. "So, some point before the holidays, I imagine
we'll get together and discuss if he wants to come back here or not."

Sandy Burgin is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.